2dancersmum

I echo pups_mum's comment. My DD's ballet school is small and rural but from grade 2 upwards the children have 2 x 45 mins ballet each week plus modern and a weekly 'non-syllabus' class. This grows to about 6 ballet classes a week for those that do the majors plus other classes in other dance styles. And I would say that my DD seems to do less hours weekly than most people she has met at summer schools, auditions etc. So don't panic.

Porthesia, hi yes you can order Papillon tights online from thedancelocker. I've not used their online service before but have visited the store in person. Our ballet school now reccommends this store for pointe shoe fitting, even though it is not the closest, because of the service and level of expertise they provide.

Thanks for that info on requirements on taking an exam, Nana Lily. My DD has just about outgrown her dance school and with her teachers help we have been looking for schools she could continue her training. We had been told by someone at an ISTD school that she would need to go back into intermediate as she would not be able to take ISTD Advanced otherwise. One for the 2 principals to discuss I think, if that school turns out to be DDs only option. DD has no objection to doing some intermediate classes but since she took her RAD intermediate well over a year ago and has been doing both advanced 1 and the new intermediate syllabus ever since it does seem like she would be moving sideways rather than progresing.

I tend to use Porselli, Movedancewear and Dancedirect, depending on what I am after as the same item can vary in price considerably between the sites, The tights my DD likes for example range from £8.50 online to £12.50 at our local ballet store and Porselli have even had them in their 'sale' a couple of times at £5. Never had a problem with any of these stockists but dancedirect are somtimes a little slower.

Bankruptmum, DD's teacher was talking about ISTD and RAD with me just yesterday and in answer to your question I believe the majors grades are about the equivalent. She was explaining that ISTD is generally considered slightly easier and that at schools which offered both exam boards students would study intermediate with both ISTD and RAD but take the ISTD exam a few months before the RAD one. I don't know how true this is, because although the teacher has done both, she only offers RAD at her own school and I only know RAD so the viewpoint is obviously biased. However I do know this to be true of a well respected and long established school in the next town who do ISTD and RAD alongside each other. When swapping exam boards, however, I think I am correct in saying that you cannot take RAD Advance without having first done RAD Intermediate and likewise you cannot take ISTD Advance without first passing ISTD Intermediate.

My assumption is that RAD is like the equivalent of a 'industry standard' for summer/Easter schools so that children can be placed into groups by ability rather than age as RAD is perhaps the best known and most widely covered ballet syllabus. RAD exams can be taken at many vocational schools in 6th form too, including Elmhurst, Tring, Hammond, Northern and Central and as spannerandpony says it may be linked to qualifying for competitions or there may be other reasons. For actually gaining a place at a 6th form vocation school, however, surely it is the audition itself that the candidate is judged on and not what exams they have or have not taken, with any exam boards.

I don't think you need RAD exams in order to progress to 6th form at vocational school, although it is probably the pathway for the majority. If you download any application forms for schools you are interested in, you will see that there is a section to fill in on any dance exams taken, exam board, level etc but I think that is just background information as the audition itself is the important bit.. You do need to be at the equivalent standard of intermediate/advanced as you say in terms of technique, terminology etc. The auditions do not contain any syllabus work but are more in the form of an 'unset' ballet class so it is important to be able to pick things up quickly.

thanks kiwimum. Would have loved to see this but unfortunately no cinemas showing it anywhere near us.

The fact that MDS awards are given by the governement to the CAT schemes and the 'ballet schools' is surely already an indication that these awards are intended for primarily for dancers showing a particular talent/potential for ballet. Unless I am mistaken (and that is possible) MDS awards are not available for dancers at the vocational schools that are more focused on musical theatre or performing arts eg Sylvia Young, Brit School, Suzie Earnshaw(?) etc. Obviously each school selects through audition, the children they believe have the most potential and I thought the MDS then went to the children the school thought were the best. I might be naive in this view as I have not had a child audition at this age, but certainly at 6th form level, some of the schools explained that each candidate was 'scored' (for want of a better word) at their audition and when they awarded DADAs it was on merit and put quite simply, those with the highest scores were offered the award.

When my DD applied for SAs 2 years ago we were told associate letters went out after all the auditions were completed. Don't forget they probably allow time for people to accept/decline places offered and offer from the WL before dealing with associate places. We were told end March 2 years ago but the letter came early April. I remember well because we had an early April deadline for DD to respond to something and we were waiting for Associates news first.

Bankruptmum - all the best to your daughter. You both seem to have a very sensible attitude. Make the most of your next few years before you lose her to school again at 16! I'm sure that time will be here before you now it. Famcandance - at my DD's ballet school applying at 18 is more common than applying at 16, mostly for dance colleges and musical theatre courses, rather than ballet. Most of these dancers have only had 2 (or max 4) 45 mins classes a week. Certainly at your DD's age they would have only just been moving to that 3rd class. Maybe more classes, than she has now will be available for your DD as she progresses but in the meantime just keep regulary checking for any dance/drama etc in your area as things do change. Good luck and all the best to you and your DD

Jazz was the same for us, but I believe exam boards have more age guidlines than ballet. I know with the IDTA the school has to get permission and submit an extra form for a dancer younger than the published age and that 6 months younger is the maximum for the child to be able to take the exam. Hence mine are/were both kept in age groups. On the flexibility issue, is it possible to ask both her regular teacher and her associates teacher for exercises she can safely do at home to help improve her flexibility? Bear in mind also that age can play a factor here, I'm sure. My DD was really flexible as a child but as she started to grow and around puberty she lost it. It wasn't until she stopped growing and really started to work at it that she got her splits back and regained some of the flexibility in her lower back. Its not a solution to your problem, I know. I hope you find something.

I really feel for your DD and for you, when you only want to do the best you can for her. I am assuming since you had feedback from your audition that it is the school your son already attends. I also know the problems a rural location cause. I couldn't find anything within 1 hours drive, even with the dance teacher's help for my DD to take advanced classes but she suggested contacting RAD, ISTD direct for assistance and we now have found somewhere for her to go in September if she does not go to vocational school. I would agree that the school must have seen something in her dance for her to do the associates class and since they have suggested more in the drama/music field and you mention that she needs to improve her flexibility, is there anything locally to you that she can do to develop in these areas further. Any local youth theatre groups or dance/yoga etc that is not ballet and exam based? If you can work on the all-round dancer rather than ballet focus, providing her ballet is continuing and she progresses through the grades, you may find that gives her more of an edge next time she auditions somewhere.

RAD foundation exam is actually given as 11, although currently as you state it is possible for a 10 year old to take the exam, provided they are 11 by the end of the December that year. They are changing it so that a child must be 11 as of 1st January and then be entered for the exam. I imagine part of the reason for this change at least must be to try and avoid children going on pointe too early. I also don't agree that 9 would be the norm for wearing pointe shoes, although I do suspect with the RAD foundation syllabus changing there will have been a number of girls who went on pointe a little earlier than they perhaps would have done so that they could take the exam under the old syllabus and not 'start again' with the new syllabus. Certainly I was under the impression that extra exam days had to be added in the summer and autumn because of the increase in candidates for those last sessions being examined on the old syllabus.

Hi Lil, yes I was referring to this years 6th form auditions. I know your DD has been auditioning to some of the same places but from posts on here I think they have had different dates each time. I can only go on our personal experience.

On the subject of offers after one audition or prelims and finals - I can only comment in regard to 6th form as my DD never auditioned before then but Hammond and Tring are not the only schools to offer on the basis of the first audition. Northern Ballet School does too and maybe others. My DD only applied to a few places. Tring has a final audition but for Hammond and Northern offers are made on the basis of that first audition. Northern award a 'score' to their candidates and you have to reach the score they want to be offered a place. The funding then goes to the highest scoring candidates. Hammond I think do similar - not entirely sure but they film the auditions and can watch them all back. Another valid point for assessing their candidates is that the auditions are longer (potentially all day at Hammond and a good 4 hours at Northern) and often with fewer dancers (12 at both Northern and Tring). Contrast this with my DD's Elmhurst audition which lasted 65 minutes and where she was in a group of about 30. Obviously each school has the method they have found works best for them, not just to select their new students but also for the students already there and the impact that days of auditions and missing staff has on them.

A huge well done to your DD. And you certainly didn't have to wait long for the good news either. Fingers crossed for the funding audition for you both now.

If you don't get the answers you are looking for on this forum I would suggest posting in the dance section of notapushymum. A lot of parents on that forum will be able to advise I am sure - certainly there seem to be several children auditioing for full time places at Laines each year so I assume some will have done the summer school in the past.

Congratulations Little Ballerina on your ENB finals. Out of interest which ones clash? I know they are just about all in one week but I wasn't aware that any were on the same day?

Sorry to hear about your DD. We met last year at summer school and our DDs are friends via facebook so we knew she had been ill. My 1st piece of advice would be to wait for the diagnosis. I know from personal experience that these tests can throw up unexpected results and it may not be as bad as you fear. As for Elmhurst summer school, obviously it is a photo application summer school but assuming she gets in I am sure the school would attend to her dietary needs. It is more a case of knowing if there is any trigger for her condition flaring up, how she quickly she adapts to her diagnosis and how bad the Crohns is. Hopefully her condition will be mild and the flare-ups will be rare but only time will tell. My DD and I will be thinking of you.

I don't believe so. I think it is a new scheme that only started last year. Entry is by audition and then there are weekly sessions on a Sunday, made up of technique classes followed by a rehearsal, I know of people doing it this year (and loving it) but my DDs had other commitments. As amethyst says it is not run by academic year but by auditions Feb time, classes start in April and the production is in the March. EYB run over a short period at each location and cover many locations each year and I thought each session was basically just rehearsals rather than the technique classes aswell. I am sure there will be other members on here with experience of both who could advise further.

Comiserations to all those with a 'no' out there and good luck on the next round of auditions to those with a 'yes'. Keep dancing - you never know what the future holds.

My DD was there Monday too - in the snow - for the afternoon audition. One of her favourite schools too. Poster asking about RAD boys only weekends - no its not a lengthy application process. Look on the RAD website for future dates - I know they usually do one In Birmingham in October. Its simply a case of fill in an application form and at the closing date they send out confirmation of places. I know the Midlands contact for RAD is very approachable and if you phone is likely to tell you in advance of that date if you need to book flights/ferries etc.

Ballet West is also a vocational school in Scotland - 3 hours north of Glasgow. My DD met some dancers from there at summer school. She was keen to apply herself this year and we received the prospectus from them. It is also a school that is rapidly growing with building work going on at the moment I have been led to believe. They invite you to audition by taking class with the current students (or at least that is what they offered for my DD). In the end we did not follow this option, not because of the school itself but the fact that from where we live it would take 2 days to get there in the first place. As a family we decided it was not the place for DD.

a further comment on the how many hours question on an application form. In an audition the panel may not have this information in front of them but at every audition my DD has been to involving a meet with the physio and an interview, she has been asked how many hours a week she dances and what type of dance she does.